The Holiday Season

December 9th - Gingerbread Wonderland at Frelinghuysen Arboretum 

I joined my girlfriend Stacy and her two girls, Bianca and Emma, once again for this fun event!

Magical Door

Hurricane Candy

Notre Dame got the most votes.

December 11 - the 4th night of Chanukah

December 12th - East Village

Creepy pic I shot with Diane after drinks with Wendy.

December 13th - AP's Holiday Party

Me & Eva

My colleagues Lisa and Michael

December 15th - Scott Babe & I watching the Simpsons

"obscure card games" LOL!!! I play pit!!!

December 16th - Some bubbly at Pig & Prince

December 19th - Holiday cheer at Matt & Lauren's gorgeous apt. on 56th St.

Loved their courtyard, too!

December 23rd - Made Pinwheels that my Grandmother always used to make

Christmas Eve

Lunch:

View from Cemetery Hill  road in Washington -- Driving to Kyril & Josephine's from my parents house. 

Kyril's home in Frenchtown

8 acres with vineyard, carriage house and chickens!

Homemade lasagna for their family dinner later on.

Let's get this party started!

Scott Babe

Bandit (Laura's pooch)

Pizza!

Josephine slicing peppers

Bandit and Stella

SO GOOD!

Stella warming up.

In addition to lasagna, Josephine will be preparing Peking duck which is their son's favorite.

Christmas Eve

Dinner:
*Sadly, no pictures of the main course, Luchow's sauerbraten -- my Grandmother used to always make this.

I had my mom's name this year for Secret Santa and splurged the day after Black Friday with her gift from Lenox.com. My mom loves to entertain and she loves Lenox. And she's ALWAYS wanted Lenox Christmas dishes. I got her going with dinner and salad plates. UPS delivered it to her door a couple of days later. She said that she was so happy that she was shaking—wasn't expecting it. She could not wait for Christmas Eve!  

Our annual raccoon torte from Swiss Colony!

My mom did a lot of cookies this year -- this pic only shows what I chose to devour :-) 

Christmas:

Christmas morning: Scott Babe and Tarissa

Purring Ginger getting cozy with Daddy

Tarissa's self portrait with Charlie

Tarissa's shot of Ginger

Christmas lunch at Uncle Frankie's:

Mommy & Uncle Frank

Day after Christmas at Aunt Lisa & Uncle Ken's in Bangor, PA:

Downstairs Living room (another tree in their upstairs TV room!)

Budweiser themed tree in the Bud room!

Aunt Lisa impressed! Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup in shot glasses along with Mini-Grilled-Cheese (Sandra Lee recipe or was it Rachael Ray?)

We had to cut the celebration short because the roads were getting bad :-(

Scott Babe thought it was a bit nutty that we stopped at Hot Dog Johnny's on the way home! Mmmm mmm mmmm!